The present invention relates to an improvement in a flat belt type testing apparatus for measuring the cornering characteristics of a tire.
As illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3 of the accompanying drawings, a conventional flat belt type testing apparatus for tires includes a mechanism 2 for bearing a load by water pressure known as a water bearing provided within an endless steel flat belt conveyer system 1. An endless steel belt 4 is stretched around two rotatable drums 3a, 3b in order to support a load applied by tire 6 with high-pressure water jets applied to the reverse side of the endless steel belt 4. Waterdrops attached to the reverse side of the endless steel belt 4 while it travels are removed by wipers 7a, 7b. When the traveling speed of the endless steel belt 4 is increased in order to add the testing speed, the waterdrops can not sufficiently be wiped off only by means of the wipers 7a, 7b. Further, the wipers 7a, 7b tend to be deformed or curved due to using for a long period of time, and then waterdrops might not be removed surely because of incomplete contact of wipers 7a, 7b with the endless steel belt 4. As a result, there exist problems that the rotatable drums 3a, 3b are apt to rust or a centering sensor equipped close to an edge of the endless steel belt 4 is liable to get wet and a detection failure occurs.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invenion to provide a flat belt type testing apparatus for measuring the cornering characteristics of a tire, the testing apparatus has a mechanism 2 for bearing a load by water pressure capable of easily and completely removing waterdrops from the endless steel belt.